A teacher in Georgia was fired from his position teaching music at a Catholic school because of his sexual orientation. He is now suing the school for discrimination based on his sex. The case has some subtlety because it's not illegal to discriminate against gays in Georgia, but it is illegal to discriminate against someone because of their sex. Listen to this public radio story with your class to learn about this interesting discrimination case.

Related Current Events

A county clerk in Kentucky was briefly jailed for contempt of court for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. A 2015 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage and requires all clerks to issue licenses to same-sex couples. The Kentucky clerk says she won’t go against her religious beliefs, which condemn same sex relationships. Although the law does not support her decision, she has supporters in Kentucky. She lives in a state where same-sex marriage was banned in 2004.

The Supreme Court ruled this summer to support same-sex marriage. This does not apply to Native American tribes, however, since they are not parties to the U.S. Constitution. A decade ago, Navajo lawmakers drafted the Dine Marriage Act that prohibits same-sex marriage, and only a dozen of the 566 U.S. tribes recognize same-sex marriage. If Native Americans leave the reservation, they are free to marry whom they choose, but in their own home community, the relationship is not valid. Listen to hear more about how these contradictory laws are affecting Native Americans.

On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court expanded the right to marry to same-sex couples in the United States. The Court ruled that gay marriage is a right protected by the 14th amendment and that all states must allow same-sex couples to wed. This 5-4 decision overrides state laws and state constitutional amendments that forbid same-sex marriage. Many groups are celebrating the decision saying that this is a civil rights case that will one day be celebrated like the landmark integration case, Brown vs. Board of Education. Others who oppose same-sex marriage vow to fight the decision saying the court doesn’t have the right to override public opinion and states’ rights to define marriage. Listen to learn more about this historic decision. You can see how this decision will impact different states with this NPR Map and read the decision for yourself.

The Indiana state legislature has been in the harsh spotlight since passing a Religious Freedom Law that would make religious beliefs a valid legal defense against government regulations. This law, backed by the conservative right, was seen as a move to discriminate against or refuse service to gays and lesbians with state approval. Listen to learn how the national media and business community responded by forcing the legislature to pass another bill that does not allow discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Language Challenge Level

These levels of listening complexity can help teachers choose stories for their students. The levels do not relate to the content of the story, but to the complexity of the vocabulary, sentence structure and language in the audio story.

NOTE: Listenwise stories are intended for students in grades 5-12 and for English learners with intermediate language skills or higher.

Low

These stories are easier to understand and are a good starting point for everyone.

Medium

These stories have an average language challenge for students and can be scaffolded for English learners.

High

These stories have challenging vocabulary and complex language structure.